Side: Milly
Well—this is really troublesome.
Yuki-san has started selecting the members for the mission.
In the meantime, the rest of us are getting various preparations underway.
Since we'll be barging right into the middle of enemy territory, there's a mountain of work to do—establishing escape routes, communication methods, and so forth.
Well, since we've divided up the roles, that part isn't much of an issue, but...
"Umm... Milly-san? Are you feeling unwell?"
The person offering me a glass of water is Teles-chan, the poster girl of the Hausen Diner.
That's right, I've ended up back in August's royal capital to gather intelligence once again.
This time, Kirika is gathering information separately.
Oh, right. I need to stop spacing out—Apparently, I was making a face that had her worried about me.
"Ah, I'm fine. I'm not feeling unwell or anything."
"Is that so? Then... is something troubling you?"
"Well, yes. You see, it looks like a war is about to start, doesn't it?"
"Yes... even now, the soldiers are running around frantically..."
As she says that, Teles-chan glances toward the city gate.
A large number of soldiers are coming and going, carrying supplies and equipment.
In the end, the announcement that the Hiffy Holy State had attacked came shortly after Yuki-san and the others departed on their reconnaissance mission.
Princess Innis seems to handle these things quite solidly; she increased patrols, so no noticeable disturbances have broken out in the city. Still, with soldiers constantly moving around and transporting supplies like this, it's only natural for everyone to feel restless. People keep glancing over at the soldiers from time to time.
"Thanks to this, my sightseeing trip with my husband is going to be delayed."
"Ah, so that's what it is."
Apparently, fate is determined to prevent us from going on our honeymoon in August's royal capital.
Geez, why did a predecessor have to show up on the enemy side at a time like this?
If it had just ended as ordinary reconnaissance it would have been fine! I mean, yeah, they had firearms and all, so I didn't think it would go that smoothly, you know?
But still...!
My plan to just pin him down and enjoy myself afterward has been ruined!!
"Wait, is that really okay?! If you haven't rejoined your husband yet, doesn't that mean he's still traveling outside?!"
"Ah, that's fine. He's in the opposite direction."
"Oh, I see. But are you sure he'll be okay? They say public safety has gotten worse because of all this."
"No need to worry about that. My husband is strong. Even if a dozen bandits surrounded him, he'd handle it with ease."
"Whoa... He's amazing."
He really would be able to deal with them 'somehow'.
He might even make all of them do breakdancing.
"Oh, what's this? Milly, taking it easy, are we?"
"Ah, Momento-san. Eh, Onee-chan too!?"
While Teles-chan and I are talking, Momento comes walking toward us, fully geared up in heavy armor.
And standing beside him is Teles's older sister—one of this country's Magic Sword wielders, Lalaina.
This is my first time meeting her face-to-face, but...
"You know I'm waiting here for my husband. This isn't exactly the time for me to be going outside. And what about you? Trying to earn yourself some pocket money?"
"Pocket money? Milly, haven't you seen how much they're paying this time? It's a hell of a payout."
Under the assumption of an upcoming invasion against the Holy Nation of Hiffy, the summoning and hiring of mercenaries has already begun, with pay more than double the usual rate.
Well, it's certainly a good opportunity for mercenaries to make some money.
Not that I care about the money, though.
"It's fine. I'm already making plenty of money. And fighting an opponent that even that Lalaina-san there is struggling just to hold off would be like volunteering to die, wouldn't it?"
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Eh? Onee-chan is?"
The narrative being pushed is that the Holy Nation of Hiffy's recent invasion was held off.
Amanda's achievements as the Dragon Knight are being kept under wraps for now. The official report says that Lalaina held the enemy back with her magic sword.
"You... What do you know?"
Lalaina points a sharp glare at me, neither denying nor confirming my words.
Hmm. This should be fine.
The reason I'm saying all this is because Yuki-san instructed me to meet Lalaina when she came to introduce herself and assess her abilities.
Since I'm going with her as an envoy, naturally, we need to know what she's capable of.
However, Yuki-san and the others decided that they shouldn't actually fight Lalaina to assess her strength. With a Dungeon Master on the enemy side, we have no idea where the enemy's eyes might be watching us.
So, since I'm operating alone, I'm provoking her like this and assessing her abilities myself.
"Ara? At least deny it, why don't you? You were completely on the defensive against an enemy team far smaller than your own, weren't you? A Magic Sword wielder... what a joke. Momento-san, if you value your life, you'd better drop out of this campaign. I feel bad for Teles-chan, but if you hang around a weakling like this, you're going to die."
"Stop it, Milly-san! Please don't say such horrible things about my sister! It's a lie, right? Onee-chan didn't struggle, right!?"
Teles-chan starts defending her sister, clearly hoping she'll deny what I said.
"...Teles, Momento-dono. I ask that you keep this strictly between us. It affects morale."
"Eh? Onee-chan... then...?"
"So Milly was telling the truth...? You were completely on the defensive...?"
"Yes. They attacked us with new weapons. However, countermeasures have already been devised. Thus, there is no need to worry."
Fumufumu. She seems capable of dealing with the situation calmly.
She has enough provocation tolerance to serve as an envoy without issue.
"Let me ask you once more. Who are you? ...If you speak any further on this matter, I will detain you as a threat to public order."
"I have no obligation to answer. And it's obvious you're only trying to hide the fact that your side was humiliated. If you truly wish to protect the safety of the citizens, you ought to speak the truth."
Just kidding.
Information suppression can itself cause public disorder, so I don't think Princess Innis's decision was wrong.
Still, if I put it like this...
"I see. That is unfortunate. I will have to detain you here by force."
"Think you can pull that off?"
Without even standing up from my chair, I look at Lalaina.
She seems to be testing me as well; out of the two swords hanging at her waist, she doesn't reach for her Magic Sword, but instead extends her hand toward the ordinary blade...
"Onee-chan, don't!!"
"Fuh."
As if Teles-chan's desperate warning were the signal, Lalaina strikes at me with the sword still in its sheath.
"Mm-hmm. So you're not relying on the power of your magic sword. Good swordsmanship."
But to me, it isn't a threat in the slightest, so I casually catch the sword with my bare hand and stop it.
"Wha—!?"
"Eh?!"
"!?"
Momento and Teles-chan cry out in shock, but Lalaina immediately lets go of the sword and leaps backward.
Her split-second judgment is good, too.
If she'd tried to pull the sword free after I grabbed it, I would've simply pulled her toward me and slammed her down.
It means she properly read the situation. She realized that despite the overwhelming gap in speed and power, I could pull off a feat like that while remaining seated.
I'll deduct a few points because she couldn't gauge my strength, but that's understandable. If she had been able to figure it out, she'd be so overwhelmed by the enemy's strength once we reached their territory that she might become useless as an envoy.
I'd already suspected this because she showed absolutely no reaction while she was with Yuki-san and the others.
"Why didn't you attack?"
"Why, I wonder? A weapon was swung at me, so I simply stopped it."
"...I see. Then let's discuss this here."
Saying so, Lalaina takes a seat directly opposite me.
"I thought you were going to arrest me?"
"Capturing you is impossible for me. I knew from Teles's demeanor that you weren't an evil person, but I did not expect you to be of this caliber."
"Really? If you drew that Magic Sword, you never know."
"I would like to think so. However, I have no desire to destroy my father's diner. Milly-dono, was it? Allow me to ask once more: why do you possess that information? Judging by how you only brought it up after I arrived, were you asked by someone to test my mettle?"
She's sharper than I expected.
Yep, she's definitely closer to Mist or Aegil's type rather than Marley or Olive.
Wouldn't she make a fine envoy?
"Hey!? Why are you two just sitting down and talking like nothing happened!?"
"R-Right! Onee-chan, Milly-san... what on earth just happened!?"
The two spectators are utterly confused, unable to keep up with the situation.
"No, it was merely play-fighting."
"Indeed."
"Play-fighting...?"
"That's a lie! Onee-chan, you swung your sword for real!"
"That's only natural. She is an acquaintance I used to train with. Didn't I mention her before?"
"Ah! Were you talking about Milly-san back then? But her appearance seems different..."
"That is only natural as well. Women change in their pursuit of beauty."
"...Did Onee-chan really just say that?"
Yep.
She's good at improvising, too.
She's even giving me a subtle look, so I'll play along.
"That's right. Sorry, Teles-chan. This restaurant was actually recommended to me by Lalaina, too."
"Really? Then you should've just said so!"
"We couldn't exactly do that. There are probably plenty of villains out there borrowing Lalaina's name, right?"
"Exactly. If someone did that, Teles and her old man would deal with them."
"Oh, yeah. That's true. Haaah... I guess I worried for nothing."
As the two exhale in relief, the shop owner comes walking out from the back of the diner.
"Hmph. I thought you'd finally returned, only to almost start a brawl with a customer right off the bat. Normally, I'd give you a healthy smack on the head for that, but showing your face amidst all this chaos means you've got important business. Come on, head into the back. Teles, watch the shop."
"Okay~"
"Momento. If some idiot tries anything with my daughter..."
"I know, I know. I'll beat the hell out of them."
"Geez! I can handle things on my own!"
With that, the owner takes Lalaina toward the back of the restaurant...
"What are you sitting around for? Young lady, you're coming too."
"Me too?"
"Yeah. Seems you're involved in this too. Better to hear the whole story together. And if the two of you are together, you should at least be able to call for help if something happens."
"Heh."
This shop owner understands the difference in strength, doesn't he?
He's not Teles-chan and Lalaina's father for nothing.
No wonder the mercenaries hold him in high regard.
"Very well. We have much to catch up on, and the back is easier for talking anyway."
And so, I rise from my seat and follow them into the back of the diner.
"Sorry about this. The back of the shop is just our ordinary living quarters."
Saying so, the owner sets down a glass of water for me.
Even so, since they genuinely run this as a restaurant, the place is thoroughly cleaned. It looks old from its age, but it's kept quite clean and gives off a pleasant impression.
My genuine impression is that he takes running his shop very seriously.
"Not at all. It's thoroughly cleaned and feels very comfortable."
"Glad to hear it. Now, sorry to jump straight to the point, but let's hear Lalaina's side first."
"Understood. Since Milly-dono seems to know everything already... the truth is..."
Lalaina then explains the facts of the recent battle and shares that she volunteered to act as the envoy to the Holy Nation of Hiffy.
She explains everything concisely and without wasting a single word.
In a way, they feel less like father and daughter and more like a superior and subordinate.
She must have been raised under strict discipline.
"I see. I understand the situation now. And I understand your position as well, Milly-dono."
"What do you mean, Father?"
What exactly did he understand?
I tilt my head in confusion, but the shop owner has an expression as though he's figured something out.
"Most likely, she provoked you like that to test whether you could properly fulfill your duty as an envoy. His Majesty can be quite tricky. But it makes sense. This matter must be handled with utmost caution. Well, how was it?"
Ah, so that's how he interpreted it.
Honestly, that makes total sense.
Rather than being on Yuki-san's orders, that explanation is far more convincing to an outsider.
"I have my own circumstances, so I cannot divulge details."
"Umu. I understand. The rest depends on His Majesty, then."
"Is that how it is...? Did I pass your evaluation, then?"
She sounds worried, but since this was Yuki-san's instruction, there's nothing I can really say.
Personally, she gets an OK from me.
Her ability level is just right.
A passing grade as an envoy, with enough combat ability that even if she somehow turned against us, we could still deal with her.
Overall, she's quite convenient.
"Still, I didn't expect there to be a veteran of Milly-dono's level around."
"Yes. I never imagined someone could stop a blade with their bare hands. Yet, I've never heard any rumors about Milly-dono. Just where did you..."
"Well~ I'll refrain from stating specifics, but as long as you rely on the people accompanying you as envoys, things won't turn out too badly."
"Hoh... Lalaina, were there other candidates?"
"No, none that I know of. The only one coming along is Dragon Knight Amanda-dono, but she's still a student..."
"Fumu. Well, His Majesty must have made some arrangements of his own. Lalaina, cooperate with your companions. You have Milly-dono's endorsement as well. There's no harm in relying on them."
"Yes. Does that mean... you give me your permission, Father?"
"Indeed. At this point, it's not as if saying 'I can't let my precious daughter go somewhere dangerous' would stop you, would it?"
"That's right."
"Then fulfill your mission and come back alive. Don't think that dying is noble. That is what it means to be a knight—the kind of person you said you wanted to become, someone who protects the country and their lord."
"Yes! Then, Magic Sword Wielder Lalaina shall now return to duty!"
"Off you go."
The owner watches Ralaina leave from the back of the shop.
"Ah, Onee-chan! Where are you going?"
"To work."
"Ehh, already?"
"Yes. Things are busy right now. When I come back next time, I'll probably have some time to relax. Then we'll go have fun together."
"Un! It's a promise!"
I can hear their conversation.
They really do seem like close sisters.
"When she's at home, she's like that... but ever since she was little, she said she wanted to follow in my footsteps and become a knight. In the end, she grew into such a stubborn, serious person. And perhaps because she was fortunate, she even became capable of wielding a magic sword..."
The owner murmurs with a slightly lonely expression.
"Please look after my daughter."
"Yes. To the best of my ability, I will bring her back alive."
Since she's going to serve as bait, Yuki-san won't complain even if I show a little favoritism toward her.
He's a softie, after all.
...Still, facing a predecessor alongside an otherworldly person... I can't even imagine what kind of battle this is going to turn into.
* * *
